Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1887-10-29

OF TINT kind little fellow Alphonse. who IA
perfect treasure TO me, and that or another
waiting man. 10 reach the antechamber I
got there indeed. before anybody else. except
few OF the great court officials who had
been hidden 10 be present. but had scarcely
seated myself before Sorais was brought In
by party Of guards, looking as beautiful
and defiant as ever but with a worn er.
preston on her proud face She was, ss
usual. dressed in her royal kat embazoned
with the emblem Of the Sun. ard IN her right
hand she still held the toy spear OF silver A
pang Of admiration and pity went through
me as looked at her and Struggling to my
feet bowed deeply at the same time ex
pressing my sorrow that | was not able
owing to my condition, 10 remain standing
before her.
She colored n little and then laughed bit.
terly "Thou dost forget, Macumazahn,'
she said, 81 am no more queen save In
blood, am an ontcast and prisoner one
whom all men should scorn, and none show
difference to-
"At least replied, 'thou art still a lady.
and therefore one 10 whom Difference Is due,
Also thou art IN an evil case, and therefore II
is doubly due"
"Ahla she answered, with a little laugh,
"thou dbst forget that would have wrapped
thee In sheet Of gold and hung thee to the
angels trumpet at the topmost pinnacle OF the
temple
"No," answered Il assure thee forgot Il
not; indeed / often thought Of 1t when 1t
seemed to me that the battle of the Pass was
turning against us. but the trumpet is there,
and am still here, though perchance not for
long, so why talk Of 1t nowp
"Ahl" she went on. "the battle the battles
Oh, would that were once more a queen, II
only for one little hour, and would take such
> vengeance on those accused jackals who
deserted me in my need that It should only
be spoken OF in whispers, those women, those
pigeon hearted half breeds whosutfered them
selves to be overcome" and she checked in her
wrath
aAy, and that little coward beside thee, she
went on. pointing at Alphonse with the silver
spear. whereat be looked very uncomfota-
BILE, "he escaped and betrayed my plans. !
tried TO make general of him. telling the
soldiers 1t was Bougwan, and to scourge yalor
into him. (he Q Aphonse shiyered at some
unhappy recollection, "but it was Of no avail.
He hid beneath a banner in my tent and thus
overheard all my plans. would that had
slain him, but, alas l held my hand. And
thou, Macumazahn | have heard OF what
thou didst, thou art brave man and hast a
loyal heart. And the black one, too, ah, he
was man. fain would have seen him hurl
Nasta from the stairway"
Thou art a strange woman, Sorais,"
said II pray tLee now plead with the Queen
Nyleptha, that perchaisce she may show
mercy unto thee.n
She laughed out loud ~ plead for mercyi'
she said, and at that moment the queen en-
tered. accompanied by Sir Henry and Good,
and took her seat with an impassive face. As
for poor Good he looked intensely i'll at ease.
"Greeting, SoraisI' said Nyleptha after
short pause. "Thou hast rent the kingdom
like a rag, thou hast put thousands Of my
people to the sword, thou hast twice basely
plotted to destroy my life by murder. thou
hast sworn to slay my lord and his compan.
ions and to hurl me from the stairway What
hast thou to say why thou shouldst not diei
Speak, o Soraisr
! "Methinks my sister. the queen, hath for.
gotten the chief count of the Indictment
lxpnswered Sorais in her slow musical tones.
at runs thus Thou didst strive to win the
love OF my lord Incubu' II Is for this crime
levied war. IL is perhaps happy for thee,
Nyleptha, that fixed my mind upon his love
| too late.
@Listen," she went on, raising her voice, u
have naught to say save that would had
won instead OF lost. Do thou with me even
as thou wilt, o queen, and let my lord the
king there" tpointing to Sir Henry, "for now
| win he b. king, carry out the sentence, as it
| is meet he should. for as he is the beginning
OF the evil, let him also be the end. and she
drew herself up and shot one angry glance at
him from her deep fringed eyes&and then be.
| gan to toy with her sTear,
Sir Henry bent toward Nyeptha and whis.
| pered something that l could not catch, and
then the queen spoke.
"Sorais, ever have been good sister to
thee When our father died, and there was
much talk in the land as to whether thou
shouldst sit uron the throne with ME, being
the elder, gave my voice for thee and said,
Nay, let her sit. She is twin with me; we
| were born at birth; wherefore shonld the one
be preferred before the otherf And so has IL
| ever been 'twixt thee and me, my sister. But
now thou knowest in what sort thou hast re-.
| paid me, but have prevailed, and thy life
is forfeit, Sorais. And yet art thou my sis.
ter, born at a birth with me, and we played
together when we were little and loved each
other much, and at night we sleptin the same
| cot with our arms each around the others
neck, and therefore even now does my heart
! 60 out to thee, Sorais
"But not for that would ! spare thy life,
for thy offense has been too heavy; it doth
drag down the wide wings Of my mercy even
to the ground Also, while thou dost live the
land win never be at peace.
"Yet shalt thou not die, Sorais, because
my dear lord here hath begged thy life OF me
as boon; therefore as a boon and as a mar
rage gift give 1T to him, to do with even as
he wills, knowing that, though thou dost love
him, he loves thee not, Sorais, for all thy
beauty. Nay, though thou art lovely as the
night in all her stars o Lady OF the Night,
| yet is it me his wife waou. ne loves, and not
thee, and therefore do l give thy life to him. y
Sorais flushed ap to her eyes and said moth.
ing, and do net think that ever saw man
look more micttnble than did Sir Henry at
that moment Somehow Nyleptha's way of
putting the thing, though true and forcible
enough, was not altogether pleasant.
" understood stammered Curtis, looking
at Good--@I understood that you were at
ached-eh--attached toto the Queen So
| rails / am---eh--not aware what them